Chapter 10 "I am real".
In the end, Sun Wukong listened to the advice and didn't stubbornly go to find Miaolian.
Thus began the journey of the bird and the monkey. With Jiang Huaisu's intentional or unintentional hints and guidance, they avoided many detours and rarely strayed from their course, heading straight for Xiniu Hezhou.
The journey with Sun Wukong was relatively easy. Although he had a warlike side, he also knew how to avoid danger. His years of travel experience hadn't been wasted; his understanding of monsters was much deeper than Jiang Huaisu's.
After recovering from her injuries, Jiang Huaisu no longer had to be carried in Sun Wukong's pocket and could return to the vast sky. It was incredibly refreshing.
Although she wasn't that diligent and often preferred to slack off and hitch a ride on Sun Wukong's shoulders, being unable to fly and not wanting to fly are two different things, and things are fine as they are now.
When entering areas frequented by mortals, Sun Wukong would put on a headscarf. Judging by his physique alone, he was almost indistinguishable from a human boy.
He specially bought a bamboo basket to carry on his back, and Jiang Huaisu hid inside, so she could follow him through the streets and alleys.
Through the light-leaking holes, she could observe what was happening outside the bamboo basket.
The market for ordinary people was indeed lively, with long queues always forming around the steaming food stalls. Jiang Huaisu looked on with envy, but unfortunately, she didn't have any money in her pocket, so she could only smell the aroma.
On the surface, Sun Wukong was in charge of the finances, but in reality, he had no money. The few copper coins in his purse were worn smooth from handling, but he was reluctant to spend them.
Birds and monkeys are dirt poor, relying entirely on nature for food and water. They eat whatever they find in the wild, and if they need to spend the night in human towns, they can only rely on the charity of kind people.
They discussed finding a way to make money.
Things are different now. In addition to monkeys, there are birds now. Many hands make light work. With two brains working together, we're sure to come up with a solution.
“I’ve tried doing odd jobs before,” Sun Wukong said angrily. “The employer said they didn’t want anyone with hair on their face.”
"How about I shave it off for you...?"
"What kind of monkey is it if it doesn't grow hair?" Sun Wukong decisively refused, "No."
Jiang Huaisu was filled with regret. Miao Lian's family was so rich, how come she hadn't gotten even a tiny bit of it? She should have known better than to throw away that gold chain; she could have pawned it and gotten a few meals from it.
After racking her brains for a long time, she had a flash of inspiration: "How about this, we can go to the wild to pick fruit and sell it at the market."
"I've tried it, but the wild fruits I can pick near the town are all too sour, not as delicious as those grown in the mortal garden. I only sold two ounces after a whole day at my stall. The fruits from Flower Fruit Mountain are all thin-skinned and sweet, but unfortunately they're too far away, and mortals don't have that kind of luck."
"So... how about hunting animals for money? Catching some fish or pheasants..."
After thinking about it, she rejected the idea: "Forget it, we don't even have enough to eat ourselves, so how could we have any extra to sell?"
Moreover, those who cultivate immortality should refrain from committing acts of killing. The need to prolong life and fill one's stomach is another matter, but the problem is that we haven't reached the point of desperation yet; we can survive without earning money.
However, since they can't buy things from the ordinary people's market, their quality of life remains at a low level.
They thought about it for a long time but couldn't come up with a feasible solution. In the end, they concluded that making money was up to fate, as long as they didn't starve.
Sun Wukong complained, "Tch, doing business with mortals is too troublesome, they're so picky."
The reason they couldn't make money was also because their moral standards were too high. Neither of them dared to steal or rob, or bully defenseless mortals; that would be too disgraceful for demons.
The bird and the monkey continued their journey in this way until they reached Xiniuhezhou, where they arrived at a small town near the border.
The scenery here is beautiful and pleasant; it seems like a great place to live.
Not to mention the robust cattle and sheep, and the fertile land, the townspeople have no need to worry about making a living.
Strangely, the passersby all looked haggard and listless, their spirits low. Groups of homeless people huddled together on the street weren't playing cards or having fun, but rather pouring out their grievances and sighing.
After inquiring, I learned that although the townspeople were not worried about making a living, they had recently been frequently harassed by evil spirits, causing them financial losses and even deaths. The townspeople lived in constant fear, worrying about their own lives and property, and naturally had no interest in frivolous entertainment.
The evil demon, known as Fairy Linchun, comes and goes without a trace, her whereabouts unpredictable. She possesses a captivating and bewitching ability, capable of tricking people into handing over their hearts, livers, spleens, and gold and silver treasures.
The townspeople suffered greatly and offered a large reward for his capture, hoping that someone with talent and ability would take up the post and solve this calamity for them.
"This is a chance to make money." After learning the whole story, Sun Wukong was eager to be the first to accept the challenge.
Jiang Huaisu questioned, "Are you sure you can do it?"
“Why not?” Sun Wukong raised his head and flicked his tail. “This evil demon is probably not very good at fighting, so he can only use this roundabout method to confuse others. I know some demons are proficient in illusion magic, but I have never fallen for it.”
He pointed to the words on the notice board and read the last line: "After the matter is accomplished, a reward of thirty taels of silver will be given."
With so much silver, they could squander it for a long time.
Even if they couldn't defeat that evil demon, they shouldn't lose their lives. Jiang Huaisu still trusted Sun Wukong's protagonist aura, and besides, the temptation of the reward was too great.
Without hesitating for long, she nodded: "Let's give it a try!"
There's no need to actively seek out evil spirits; it's inevitable that these two homeless children will be targeted. We can simply wait and see.
In the middle of the night, everyone kept their doors and windows tightly shut, but Sun Wukong was still wandering the streets, practically a walking piece of fat meat. Moreover, he was completely free of any foul air, making him look even more appetizing than ordinary mortals. Fairy Lin Chun had no reason to let him go.
Jiang Huaisu was carried in a bamboo basket by him. She looked around through the holes, but in such a dim environment, she couldn't see anything.
"This is a little scary..." She leaned closer to Sun Wukong's back. "Is there not even a moon tonight?"
"Yes, but it's covered by dark clouds." Sun Wukong instructed her, "You must not come out, just stay inside."
"Definitely."
They had already agreed that she would hide in the bamboo basket to observe the situation and secretly cast spells to assist in the battle.
As expected, their ostentatious stroll through the city as two outsiders would surely attract the attention of Fairy Lin Chun. But for some reason, even after walking until late at night, nothing unusual happened. The surroundings were quiet, with only the sound of Sun Wukong's footsteps echoing at the street corner.
She huddled in the bamboo basket, swaying slightly with Sun Wukong's movements, like being in a cradle. After a while, she inevitably felt sleepy and could only press herself against the hole to blow the cool breeze and try to stay awake.
Just then, a bloodshot white eyeball suddenly appeared from the outside of the bamboo basket, abruptly meeting her gaze.
She was so close that she could almost touch the sparse eyelashes above the eyeball, and she could feel a cool, fishy smell seeping in through the hole.
Holy crap!
Startled, she tucked her wings back, rolled halfway around in the bamboo basket, and hurriedly reminded Sun Wukong, "Coming, coming!"
Sun Wukong seemed not to hear him and continued to move forward on his own.
She flapped her wings and tried to kick the bamboo basket, thinking that Sun Wukong would notice, but it was all in vain. In the pitch-black night, it seemed that she was the only living thing left, facing this terrifying eyeball monster alone.
This is supposed to be "Fairy Linchun"? The name sounds ethereal, but the actual thing looks so disgusting. Without a doubt, this title must have been spread by the Eyeball Monster himself.
So she immediately closed her eyes, determined that no matter what she heard or saw, she would never step out of the bamboo basket or do anything unnecessary. She simply cast a spell to solidify a protective barrier around herself, ensuring her safety.
The bamboo basket began to shake violently, to a degree that could not be simply described as bumpy. If she were an egg, it would probably have been shaken to pieces by now.
Even so, Jiang Huaisu remained unmoved, clinging firmly to the bottom of the bamboo basket to lower her center of gravity. Even if she vomited and fainted here today, she would never step out of the basket!
After an unknown amount of time, the shaking subsided, the faint fishy smell in the air disappeared, and everything returned to silence.
She mustered her courage and opened her eyes. The strange eyeball was gone, and the faint morning light shone in from the hole.
"Hey, aren't you awake yet?" Sun Wukong's disgruntled voice rang out.
"Hey." Hearing her companion's voice again, she almost burst into tears. "Just now...!"
"I called you for ages and you ignored me, then slept soundly until dawn. You've had a good time."
"No, I wasn't asleep!"
Jiang Huaisu eloquently recounted what had just happened, concluding that the eyeball monster was the Fairy Lin Chun they were looking for. At the time, she was under an illusion, but from Sun Wukong's perspective, nothing happened; he thought she was simply sleeping peacefully with her eyes closed in the bamboo basket.
She said with lingering fear, "What kind of demon is so ugly, with only eyes?"
“Since you’ve fallen under the illusion, what you’ve heard and seen might all be fake…” Sun Wukong guessed. “Those eyes might just be a trick Lin Chun Fairy used to scare you, and might not be her true appearance.”
Jiang Huaisu thought it made sense. Just as she was about to continue the discussion with Sun Wukong, she sensed that he had paused.
The inertia made her stumble forward, pressing against Sun Wukong's back. She asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
"Don't come out."
After uttering those three simple words, Sun Wukong unloaded his bamboo basket by the roadside, straightened up, and walked forward. His joints cracked as if he were about to embark on a major adventure.
Through the hole, Jiang Huaisu saw the thing opposite Sun Wukong.
It was hard to describe what the thing looked like. Its flat, featureless face resembled a lump of clay molded into a human shape. Its forearms were covered in eyes, each eye being different in shape and size, which gave Jiang Huaisu goosebumps.
She shouted at Sun Wukong, saying that it might be an illusion, but the latter insisted that it was the true form of Fairy Linchun. Jiang Huaisu had no choice but to believe him for the time being.
Perhaps the eyeball that had been playing tricks on her earlier was just a test; seeing that the illusion wasn't working, she decided to resort to force.
"It smells so good." The clay figure actually spoke, its high-pitched male voice like the sizzling sound of chalk scraping across a blackboard, making one's teeth ache. "Little monkey, it smells so good."
Fairy Linchun accepts all comers, whether human or monkey, as long as they have value, they become her prey.
Sun Wukong had reigned supreme on Flower Fruit Mountain for many years, fought for territory and engaged in brawls, so he was quite skilled in martial arts. Even if he didn't know magic, his combat strength wouldn't be weak.
Jiang Huaisu watched them fight in terror, not daring to even blink. She would occasionally throw out an offensive spell, but it had little effect, like a firecracker, as the other side always managed to dodge it.
The battle was so fierce that it was no exaggeration to say that blood and flesh were flying everywhere. She finally understood why Sun Wukong took off his basket before fighting. In this situation, it was indeed only suitable for one-on-one combat, and teammates who got involved were likely to be accidentally injured.
Suddenly, five sharp, steel-like fingernails extended from the mud-man's hand, and with a sudden, vertical slash, Sun Wukong's waist and abdomen were torn open, and blood spurted out like juice.
Jiang Huaisu grew increasingly anxious as she watched, wanting to create a protective shield for Sun Wukong, but the narrow field of vision inside the bamboo basket prevented her from locking onto him several times.
She simply lifted the light-blocking cloth on top of the bamboo basket and crawled out.
Seeing her movements, Sun Wukong exclaimed urgently, "What are you doing out here!"
"If he wants to kill me, what protection can this bamboo basket offer? Oh well, never mind that, you go first..."
Taking advantage of Sun Wukong's momentary distraction, the mud man used his five fingers to scratch him, adding a new wound to his face.
"Don't get distracted, you keep attacking, I'll cast a spell to give you a protective shield!" Seeing the mud man about to launch another sneak attack, she hurriedly reminded him, "To the right!"
However, for some reason, his movements seemed to have become much slower, and he was unable to dodge the attack. Fortunately, Jiang Huaisu finally used her spiritual power to condense a protective shield, which accurately separated him from the mud man, blocking part of the impact.
"Sun Wukong!" she exclaimed urgently, "Don't look at me, look at him!"
"......oh."
Jiang Huaisu flew to the nearest rooftop to observe the battle situation.
Suddenly, as if struck by a sudden realization, she understood that something was amiss.
Staring at the blood-covered monkey below, she whispered, "Sun Wukong."
The monkey took a moment to reply to her: "What now?"
She cursed under her breath, "Damn it, I was careless!"
That damned Fairy Lin Chun, what kind of onion-like illusion is this? You peel one layer and there's another. The monkey's current name is Guo Guo, so how come he accepts the name "Sun Wukong" so readily?
"Jiang Huaisu!" A call seemed to come from a very distant place.
Like someone who has been holding their breath for a long time finally breathing in fresh air, she felt a jolt throughout her body.
As she regained consciousness, the surrounding buildings melted away like cream. Below, Sun Wukong and the mud figures froze, all looking up at her with identical numb expressions.
She felt dizzy for a moment, blinked hard, and in a few breaths, the scenery in front of her completely changed.
The sky was as black as thick ink, and the moon was hidden behind dark clouds. Sunrise was still a long way off; the faint morning light earlier was merely her illusion.
Sun Wukong's loud voice came from below: "Fat bird, you're going to break my bones!"
She then realized she was lying on top of Sun Wukong. She sprang up with a start, looking completely bewildered, and asked, "What's going on?"
Sun Wukong reached out and lifted her up in the same way her grandmother would grab a chicken.
"You just popped out of the bamboo basket and flew into the air, then you just froze! You plummeted straight down. You were going to die from the fall, so I had to be your human cushion. Ah, luckily I'm sturdy..."
Jiang Huaisu's eyes showed wariness: "What's your name?"
“…Guoguo,” Sun Wukong said helplessly, “I really am.”
A note from the author:
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